Brownson Team Celebrates Successes

Seton Hall’s Brownson Speech and Debate Team at the 2023 Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament.

Seton Hall’s Brownson Speech and Debate Team is celebrating success at two national tournaments including the 2023 Pi Kappa Delta (PKD) National Tournament and the American Forensic Association Speech Tournament (AFA-NST).  

The prestigious 2023 PKD National Tournament was hosted by West Chester University on March 15-18. Over 50 schools attended, and most events had more than 70 competitors. 

Undaunted by the national competition, seven out of eight Seton Hall students advanced to elimination rounds in eight different events. Leading the charge were our seniors. Dan O’Connor advanced to the semifinals for the genre, After Dinner Speaking. Meg Gawron placed second in Editorial Impromptu, 5th in Extemporaneous Commentary and advanced to the quarterfinals for Persuasive Speaking. 

Safa Shaikh placed second in Impromptu, the largest event with 175 entries. Safa also advanced to the semifinals in Informative Speaking and the quarterfinals of Persuasive Speaking. Sophomore, Bryce Leatham, advanced to the quarterfinals of Impromptu Speaking, joined by freshman, Rin Jones, who also advanced to the quarterfinals of Impromptu and Editorial Impromptu. Freshman, Tristan Radcliffe also advanced to the quarterfinals of Editorial Impromptu. Finally, freshman, Emily Vaca, placed third in Spanish Interpretation. The team placed eighth overall in Team Sweepstakes out of 52 programs in attendance.

The Seton Hall team was fortunate to have several alumni involved, including Brian Sumereau, ’21, Sean Keegan ’22, Emily Feazel ’22, and Abigail Thow ’19 who supported the team at the tournament. Joy Matak also met with the team over the weekend. 

These wins were made possible with the generous support of Sal Perillo and his family. The tournament was sponsored by the Perillo-Brownson Success Fund that allowed the Brownson Speech and Debate Team to compete in a challenging and rewarding environment. 

Seniors from the Brownson Speech and Debate Team win a team award at the 2023 American Forensic Association National Speech Tournament. 

The team’s season ended in Santa Ana, California with the 2023 American Forensic Association National Speech Tournament on April 1-3. With nearly 1,200 entries, the team was again led by its seniors, all three who advanced to the semifinals or beyond. Safa Shaikh placed fifth in Impromptu Speaking and advanced to the quarterfinals of Persuasive Speaking. Meg Gawron advanced to the semifinals of Informative Speaking and the quarterfinals of Communication Analysis and Persuasive Speaking. Dan O’Connor advanced to the semifinals of Extemporaneous Speaking. Demonstrating that it was a true team effort, the Brownson Speech and Debate team took home 13th place in Team Sweepstakes out of 57 programs. This marks the fourth consecutive AFA-NST where Brownson has placed in the top 14.

While the team concluded their competitive season, team members will continue on as consummate advocates. On Thursday, April 27, the team presented "An Evening of Eloquence" to share some of their messages with the Seton Hall community.  

The season’s success was made possible with the support and hard work of the team’s Director of Forensics, Professor Catherine Zizik, and Assistant Coach, Brian Sumereau. The Office of the Dean of the College of Communication and the Arts and the Office of the Provost provided helped spread the Brownson Team’s messages of advocacy and scholarship.

For more information on Brownson Speech and Debate team visit here»

Categories: College of Human Development Culture and Media